Psychologists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Trained specialists focused on understanding mental functions and behaviors
2. Professionals dedicated to the assessment and treatment of mental health issues and human behavior
3. Individuals trained to explore mental processes and analyze behavior patterns

Etymology: "Psychologists" is the plural of "psychologist," which is built from "psychology" plus the suffix "-ist," meaning a person who practises or specialises in something. The "-ist" ending came into English through Old French "-iste" and Latin "-ista," which in turn were borrowed from Greek "-istēs," a marker for someone who does a particular activity, as in "artist" or "dentist." The first half of the word is "psychology," assembled from Greek "psukhē," meaning soul, breath, or mind, and "-logia," meaning the study of or discourse about something. So a psychologist is, quite literally, a specialist in the study of the soul or mind, and the word's older sense of "soul" survives in the first element while the meaning has shifted to the observable workings of mind and behaviour.

Synonyms: therapists, counselors, analysts, psychiatrists, mental health professionals